The Recoil: A Sub-$100 Shoulder-mount Stabilizer from Ikan

                                                             Image Courtesy of Ikan

There is a lot to like about the Recoil, a shoulder mounted stabilizer from Ikan: It is light; portable; offers three points of body contact; and best of all, is attractively priced at just under $100. The Recoil is made of a resin composite which accounts for its light weight and durability. The Recoil consists of a padded shoulder hook-arm/adjustable chest pad assembly, a long base plate, a short riser base plate, and a grip. According to Ikan, when using just the long base plate, the Recoil can support a load of up to ten pounds. The beauty of the recoil is that the base plates and grip offer a degree of customization for users. By way of example, I have mounted the short riser in the reverse of what is shown in the Ikan instruction guide in order to shorten the distance between my eye and the LCD display. The Recoil also can be used in conjunction with Ikan’s Element Fly series of stabilizers offering the ability to accommodate additional accessories that Ikan offers such as lights, monitors, and their Friction Focus.

Photographer Ron Herard puts my Recoil through the paces with a Canon 60D onboard (above and below.)

The thing I really appreciate most about the Recoil is the fact that the adjustable chest pad allows one to achieve a tight fit whether you are wearing a tee shirt or a sweater or an over coat. No matter what apparel I have had on, the Recoil fits snuggly and provides enough stability that I have had no problems adjusting my camera with minimal to no discernable shake. I do want to add that the chest pad may not be universally appreciated by all users: Some people will like it and others will not. From my perspective, it is the combination of the shoulder hook and chest brace assembly coupled with your hand placement, either on the camera or on the handle, that make this stabilizer so effective. As snugly as the Recoil may be adjusted to fit you, it is not intended to be used hands-free.

The one concern I do have about the Recoil is the durability of the foam used for the shoulder and chest pad. It is very dense, but a substantial amount of the chest pad is outside of the support plate. After thinking about this concern, I’ve decided to cross that bridge if and when it happens.
The Recoil has a MSRP of $99.99. In addition to the items previously mentioned, the Recoil comes with a storage/carrying pouch and an additional piece of foam for use between the base plate and some camera models.

For more information on the Recoil, visit http://www.ikancorp.com/



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